Ni No Kuni: Wraith of the White Witch
by autumndragonsong
Summary: The story version of Ni No Kuni. Oliver travels to another world to save his mum by defeating Shadar tasked to destroy the world by the white witch. With the help of Drippy, Esther, Swaine and Marcassin, the pure hearted one heals the two worlds with his magic.
1. Prologue: A whole 'nother world

Prologue

A whole 'nother world

The sun poured through the leaves of the summer trees lighting up the clearing where a boy and his companion were. Birds chirped to the beat of the boy's pounding heart as he ran to keep up with his friend. Wiping his chestnut hair out of his flamboyant face, the boy studied the back of his new sidekick.

For a fairy he was a very unusual one. Wearing a violent blue jumpsuit, the fairy was short, yellow and had a lantern bobbing off the end of his very long protruding nose. It was as if Mr Nosey had fallen into a pot of custard and came out with a light blue jumpsuit and a lantern stuck to him while speaking in a strong welsh accent. Yet it was an oddly comforting voice.

"Get a move on Ollie-boy!"

"Slow down Mr Drippy," Ollie called.

"But Ding Don Dell's just down the way."

Birds screeched as they flew from their perches. The ground shock. Ollie looked behind him. Fierce brown creatures charged towards them. Their antlers shock from side to side as they gained speed.

Clutching his aged book and stick, Ollie shouted, "What do we do?"

Drippy squealed, "Run for it! Argh!"

They both fell to the ground. Ollie held his hands over his head screaming. So much for this quest being a piece of cake. The elk pounded the ground everywhere except on Ollie and Mr Drippy. After the pounding stopped, Drippy looked up.

"Right let's get going, shall we?" said Drippy, skipping away.

"Huh," called Ollie. "Hey, wait for me!"

Ollie ran forward to the edge of a cliff where Drippy had stopped. Open mouthed, Ollie could just stare. Rolling green hills swam across the Summerlands. Dots of orange, yellow and brown were scattered amongst fern, emerald and pea shades of green. In the midst of it all was a kingdom with a massive domed palace in the centre.

"So this is your world," Ollie awed.

"That's right. A whole 'nother world. Beautiful, 'en it?"


	2. Chapter One: Be there or be square

Chapter one

Be there or be square

Motorville was full of motors, villas and a lot of happy people. It held many fun memories and garages scattered across its surface. The main high street was full of activity that day. People showed others their new cars while others worked and shopped.

A boy in a yellow top and blue dungarees ran up the street. He crashed into a man who was carrying a crate. The boy heard a tinkle of china behind him.

"Sorry, Mister," he called.

Skidding to his left, the boy slid into Miss Leila's Milk Bar. The store was a cosy grocery shop holding a variety of goods. The boy jumped up onto the counter with a heart full of enthusiasm.

"G'morning Miss Leila," the boy cried to the world.

"Why good morning, Oliver," Miss Leila answered, turning around.

The woman stood high and wide behind the counter carrying two big blocks of cheese. Her bushy red hair, that could hardly ever be tamed, was tied back in its normal pony tail. With the wrinkles under her eyes, Miss Leila was a cheerful person.

"Your groceries are over there, honey," she continued.

She pointed to a table near the back of the shop. Oliver looked inside his bag and found eggs, bread and a handful of peaches. He balanced the bag and a bottle of milk in his arms, careful not to spill a drop onto his peaches.

"Thanks!" called Oliver, leaving.

"Oh I almost forgot," cut in Miss Leila. "Did Philip find you? He said he had something to show you, dear."

"Really?" Oliver's face was painted with a smile. "So he finally finished it, huh… Do you know where he is right now?"

"He just stepped out with some deliveries for me. I doubt he'll have gotten far."

"Thanks, Miss Leila!"

"Oh. Say 'hi' to your mother for me!"

"Sure thing, Miss Leila," called Oliver behind him.

Clanging the shop bell, Oliver stepped outside cautious about the delivery man with the china. So he jumped when he heard someone shout, "Hey! Ollie! Over here!"

Turning around he saw his best friend Phil waving frantically. Oliver hurried over to him. Phil pushed his glasses up his sleek nose before speaking.

"Good thing you found me. Guess what? She's finally ready!"

"So what Miss Leila said – is it really what I think it is?" Oliver asked.

"What else would it be, dumb-dumb?" Philip mocked.

"Boy, you are somethin' else, Phil! So what do we do now?"

"What else? We take her for a spin. Tonight!"

"Wh – Tonight? But I can't… I mean, I need to ask my mum, and…"

"Sure, sure," Phil interrupted. "You go ask your ma. And then when do we do it, huh? Tomorrow? Next year?"

"Well I… No, but…"

Ollie struggled towards the answer. He had never sneaked outside at night before. His mother always trusted him. But then again, when would he be able to go out and take Phil's new machine. It could be years. Finally he came to a decision.

"Okay, we'll do it tonight! But we'll have to be real quiet…"

"Sure, we will! Okay, tonight at my garage. Be there or be square!"

"Sure," Ollie replied.

A crystal ball glowed onto the throne of a queen who sat with pride and power. She stroked the crystal ball thoughtfully and then turned to look at the parrot on his perch. He bowed his head to her.

The queen turned back and said, "So, this is the child that will save our world?"

"Or so says the crystal ball, Your Radiance," the bird squawked.

"Hmm… And the Dark Djinn's power alone will not suffice...?"

"I fear not," the bird said, hanging his head.

"What is the child's name?"

"Oliver, Your Radiance."

"Oliver…"

In the crystal ball Oliver ran away from Phil towards his house. The queen stared hungrily at the boy and laughed.

Oliver arrived at his house and pushed open his front door. Passing through the hallway full of pictures, he pushed the kitchen door open. Oliver smelled the bacon that was cooking on the hob. His mother was cooking him a full English breakfast! She was wearing a pea green dress and her hair was in a curled bob.

"Hey, mum," Oliver said. "I got the groceries!"

"Thanks, sweetie. Just put them on the table, will you?"

Oliver set the groceries down on the table and took a seat. He looked over and saw that his mum was distracted. It was the perfect time to ask!

"Say, mum…" he said, slyly.

"Hmm? Did you say something, sweetie?" confirmed his mother.

"You're kinda busy tomorrow, huh?"

"Well, now that you mention it, I do have a concert practise in the morning."

"Oh yeah? So… you'll be in bed kinda early, huh?"

"Hm. Yes, I suppose I will."

"Oh, you will, huh?"

"Will you stop being so mysterious and eat your breakfast?" Oliver's mother laughed. "You'll be late for school. And chew before you swallow."

Oliver gulped down his bacon, eggs and orange juice. His mother started to examine her shopping while drinking a cup of tea. Scrapping his chair along the floor, Oliver got up and slung his bag over his shoulder.

"Thanks for breakfast, mum! See you later, mum!"

"Bye, sweetie. You be good now!"

"I will," Oliver called behind him, thinking about that night guiltily.

Oliver walked outside and saw Phil at the end of the pathway.

"Hi Phil," Oliver said. "You didn't go to school yet?"

"Ha!" Phil laughed. "School, schmool! Today's a special day, kiddo! Today's the day our dream machine finally rolls off of the drawing board and onto the streets of Motorville!"

"Oh boy, I can't wait! When can I see it?"

"Whoa there, cowboy! Not so loud. Don't forget this is our secret. …Hey, dumb-dumb! You didn't tell your mum about this, did you?"

"No I did not!" said Oliver. "She asked her if she was busy, and she said that she had a concert practise in the morning, so she'll be in bed real early!"

"Perfect! Then tonight's the night. You still in, kiddo?"

"Sure I am! Tonight, at your garage. I'll be there!"

Oliver went to bed fully clothed waiting for his mother to go to bed. Eventually he heard his mum's bedroom door close. After waiting for about ten minutes, Oliver couldn't take the tension anymore. He pulled off his covers and made his bed. Checking behind him that his Mr Drippy toy was arranged on his pillow, Oliver stepped into the hall.

"She must be asleep by now," Oliver said to himself.

He crept up to his mum's door and peeked through the crack. His mother was in her bed fast asleep.

"Neato! She's out like a light! Now's my chance. Time to get to Phil's garage."

Oliver crept down the stairs towards the front door. Underfoot, a few steps creaked. Taking a deep breath, Oliver opened the door. A loud creak came from the door handle. Oliver shut the door quickly and ran towards Phil's garage. A few adults were returning to their homes for the night. They stared at him. Old women muttered about young hooligans being out late as if they hadn't realised they were out late as well. A large petrol station loomed out of the shadows. He was almost there!

A girl stared out of her bedroom window at the street below. Her long golden locks covered her blue dress. Oliver ran past under her window. The girl questioned his apparition to herself. She didn't dare call out.

"Hey!" came Phil's voice from a garage. "In here!"

The girl looked over to see Oliver duck under the garage door Phil was holding open. Phil looked around to check the coast was clear. Looking upwards, he made eye contact with the girl.

"What're you lookin' at?" he shouted.

The girl backed away from her window. Phil slammed the door shut.

"What is it with that kid?" he said to himself.

Phil's garage was filled with bits and bobs on the floor, the walls and even the ceiling. In the centre of the garage was an object covered by a piece of old greying cloth.

"What kept you, slowpoke?"

"Sorry," Ollie said. "My mum just wouldn't go to bed. So, is it finished?"

"Sure is! The last bearing's in and she's primed for action. Wanna see?"

"Do I ever!"

"All right. Here goes nothin'…"

"Okay," said Oliver, stepping back.

Phil pulled the red cover off of the object and fell into the clutter behind him. Oliver let out a gasp of delight. A fully working yellow car stood facing him. Red cloth covered the metal bars at the top of the car. Exhaust pipes stuck out of the side. The light bulb on the garage ceiling reflected its light on the headlights beckoning him forward.

"Oh, is this neat! Phil, this is so, so neat!" Oliver cried, stroking the car bonnet.

"You betcha."

"This is soooooo neat!" Ollie exclaimed.

Phil was holding a piece of metal with a picture of a new red designer car. Above the picture in fancy writing was _Coupe D-Lux_.

"The new Coupe D-Lux ain't got nothin' on us, Ollie!" Phil laughed.

Phil threw the picture aside and got up. Ollie was examining the dashboard which was covered with a number of dials.

"It's not even close!" Ollie cried.

"So, you ready to hit the road, kiddo?"

"Yeah!"

Ollie and Phil stepped out of the garage into the cold night air. Nobody was walking about the streets not even the old world war one officers who formed the night duty society. This was just in case a spy or mysterious creature wandered around in broad moon light. Oliver thought that it was more likely to see a magical ghost.

"Okay!" Phil whispered. "There's nobody around – we should take her outside now!"

"So, uh… Phil… Who gets to drive the car first?"

"Huh? Hmm… Lemme see now…" Phil said to himself. "Tell you what, kiddo – if you run down the street and make sure the coast is clear, I'll let you go first!"

"You meant that?" Ollie's face lit up with joy. "Oh boy, oh boy! O-okay, wait right here!"

"And watch out for Starey Mary, will ya?"

"Starey Mary?"

"Y'know, the girl who was spying on us before. I swear that kid is cracked!"

Phil looked up towards a window in the house next to them. Oliver looked up too. In the window was Starey Mary staring down at the boys. The girl stepped back from her window and ran towards the other side of her room.

"See?" Phil exclaimed, annoyed. "There she is again! I'll bet that tattletale goes straight to her olds!"

"She wouldn't do that…" Oliver said, aghast.

"What are you, sweet on her on or something? Go check out front already!"

"Sure thing, Phil! I'll be right back!"

Oliver ran down the road past the garages that belonged to the mechanics of Motorville. Going around a corner, Oliver saw the main road lined with houses. There wasn't a person in sight. He peeked around the wall of the last garage and saw no one down the other roads beyond. Running around the side, Oliver made sure that there definitely wasn't anyone around.

"All right!" Oliver said to himself. "The coast is clear! I better go tell Phil."

"Don't go!" came a child's voice behind him.

"Wh–Huh?"

Oliver turned around and saw a girl wearing a pale white dress and shoes. She had green hair, but that wasn't the strangest thing about her. She was glowing faintly. she looked as if she was a magical ghost.


	3. Chapter Two: Sentimental fool

Chapter two

Sentimental fool

"It's bad! Please, Oliver… Don't go!"

The girl looked at Oliver. Her eyes were sparkling with tears. Oliver just stared in astonishment at the girl. The glowing around her had gone! It must have been a trick of the light. Although the glowing was a trick, the hair was not. Green hair skimmed her shoulders as the girl bowed her head, looking as if she was about to cry.

"Huh?!" Oliver managed to say after a few seconds. "Who – Who are you? How do you know my name?"

The pale girl just stood and stared at him. Oliver felt as if something odd was happening. He stepped back a few paces. Before he could turn around and run, he heard a shout.

"Ollie!" came Phil's voice.

Oliver turned around to see Phil running up to him.

"What's taking you so long?" Phil asked, stopping in front of him.

"I'm sorry, Phil, someone saw me…" Oliver apologised.

"Aww man! Who was it?"

"Oh uh… That girl over… Huh?!"

Oliver turned around pointing to the girl. Except that she wasn't there. Sparks glimmered in the place she had been. Ollie blinked and they were gone.

"What're you talkin' about?" Phil asked, puzzled. "There's nobody there."

"Huh? That's weird... She was right there… A girl..."

Oliver looked around the street, but he couldn't see anyone else let alone the girl. He kept on pointing to the spot where she had been, but Phil didn't seem to believe him.

"A girl, huh?" Phil said. "Bet it was that dumb Starey Mary! Oh no, couldn't be. She's not allowed out. You must be goin' screwy or somethin'. Anyway come on!"

Phil started to jog up and down on the spot in anticipation.

"O-O-Okay..." Oliver replied.

They both ran back towards Phil's garage and the car. Ollie stopped and looked behind him one last time. The girl had vanished into thin air and hadn't returned. He considered the girl for a while, but when he saw the yellow car, he pushed the incident out of his mind.

() () ()

The queen stared at the crystal ball. She was still sitting in her throne waiting for a chance to interfere. Two boys, one the saviour and the other unknown, were pushing a form of transportation down a road. This was the time if there ever was one.

"Oliver…" she breathed. " 'The boy who will save the world'… But unfortunately for him, his light is yet a mere candle in the darkness."

"Indeed," chimed in the bird standing on his perch. "He may be the child the prophecies speak of, but he is a child nonetheless."

"Yet these humans can be… disturbingly powerful." The queen's glove started to turn from a passive blue to a hostile yellow. "Did the other's darkness not engulf this land entirely? Might this one not prove equally… tenacious?"

"What would you have me do, Your Radiance?"

"Such saplings must not be suffered to grow."

"Very well, Your Radiance..."

The semi-cute bird bowed to the queen and then swished his wings upwards. His feathers were suddenly ruffled and his eyes glowed crimson. In contrast, the crystal ball glowed crimson as well. The image reflecting from it was of the back wheel of the car.

"He who would save this doomed world," the queen cried, "must die!" The white witch's grey eyes flashed and set the golden beads around her crown and on her earrings shake. Her silver mask shined in the light of the ball.

() () ()

Allie slept peacefully in her queen sized bed. She rolled over unaware of her son's disappearance. Until…

"Mum! Help me!"

Allie sprang up from her pillow. Her son's shout still rang in her head. Rubbing her head, Allie got out of her bed. She walked to her bedroom door and looked into the hallway. Gasping, she saw Oliver's door stood ajar.

"Sweetie," Ollie's mother called out.

She opened the door. Oliver's bedroom was deserted. All that remained was a cup of warm milk letting out its last coil of steam.

"Where are you?!" Allie cried. "Oliver?"

She ran down the stairs and into the living room. The ashes in the fireplace stood still. The wind outside was sleeping like everyone should have been.

"Oliver!" Allie called, becoming more desperate.

She ran into the kitchen. There was only the empty table where they ate their dinner, lunch and breakfast. Breakfast! Allie remembered the conversation she had had with Oliver at breakfast.

_"__You're kinda busy tomorrow, huh?" Oliver had said._

_ "__Well, now that you mention it, I do have to practise for my concert in the morning," Allie had replied. _

_ "__Oh yeah? So you'll be in bed kinda early, huh?"_

Allie gasped. Her son had stuck out. Instead of anger like most parents felt, Allie felt worry seep through her body.

"Oliver…" she murmured.

Running through the hallway, she grabbed a pink cardigan. Allie ran frantically outside. The streets were bare with no one around.

"Oliver!" she called and got the reply of only the wind.

() () ()

Phil wound up the engine at the front of the car. Ollie stood half in and half out of the car, watching expectantly. Excitement was bubbling through him. Smoke puffed out of the two exhaust pipes and the engine started to rumble. Ollie climbed back into the car seat. He laughed at the sound of the engine rumbling.

"Ahh, would ya listen to her purr!" Phil said, handing a helmet to Ollie. "Ready?"

Ollie slipped the helmet onto his curls of hair and take his fringe out of the way. He lifting the goggles onto his eyes.

"Take it slow to start with, okay?" Phil said.

"Yep. Got it!" Ollie yelled over the engine.

"All right!"

Ollie pushed the gear stick into first gear and a massive cloud of steam came out of the exhaust pipes. He pushed down the accelerator and the car started to move forward. Then it stopped. Then it started. Then it stopped. Then it started. This time a massive cloud of smoke billowed from the exhaust pipes and the car sped forward.

"We have lift off!" Phil shouted, running behind the car.

Oliver waved behind him as he moved gracefully forward. He pushed the pedal down further and started to move faster. Phil was soon a mere figure behind as Ollie raced ahead. It was amazing for him. Driving a car along the river just out of town was thrilling. Everything was perfect. Until the back wheel fell off the car…

Oliver screamed. The car skidded left and down the river bed. Phil covered his eyes. The car splashed into the icy water with Oliver stuck inside it. Uncovering his eyes, Phil saw Oliver push off the red cover and swim to the surface, gasping for air.

"Ollie!" Phil cried.

He slide down the bank, but slipped and tripped just before the edge. Crashing to the ground, Phil moaned in agony. He could only watch Ollie struggle.

"Oliver?"

Allie was walking along the bridge. She looked around for her son. To her alarm, she caught sight of him attempting to stay above the water. Allie ran along the bridge to where Phil lay on the bank.

"Philip, what happened?" Allie shouted.

"It's Ollie," was all that Phil managed to say.

"Oliver!" Allie shouted.

Allie threw her cardigan aside and jumped into the river. Ignoring the cold, she swam towards her son. She reached her son and clutched onto him. Never again would she let go until she was sure was his safety.

Oliver looked into his mother's face and saw worry sketched across it. Water had filled his lungs making his vision dizzy. He felt water cling to his clothes along with his mother.

He was safe!

() () ()

"Oliver!" Allie said, shaking him. "Oliver! Wake up!"

Oliver opened his eyes groggily and saw his mother holding him. A crowd had formed around Oliver, Allie and Phil while they had dried Oliver off.

"M…Mum," Oliver managed to say.

"Oh sweetie, I'm so glad you're okay!" Allie cried, hugging her son.

"I'm sorry, mum…"

"I'm sorry," Phil's voice had cracked. "I swear, if I'd known, I never would've…"

"Don't be silly, Phil," Oliver said, sitting up. "What about your car?"

"That hunka junk? I can make another one in no time!"

"Well, I think you two have had quite enough excitement for a day," Allie said.

"Yes Ma'am," Phil said.

The three of them stood up, Oliver being helped by his mother. Phil gasped and clutched his teeth.

"Are you okay, Phil?" Oliver asked

"Musta twisted my ankle back there," Phil replied.

"Whatever will you children get up to next?" a woman said from the crowd.

A gasp escaped Allie's mouth. She was trembling and clutching her chest. Beads of sweat ran down her face as the pain from her heart flooded through her. Cries of "Allie" came from the adults. Oliver ran over to his mother.

"Mum, what's wrong!?" he cried.

Allie fell to the ground with her son attempting to help. She gasped and was breathing raggedly. Oliver started to cry.

"Mum!" he cried through tears.

"She always did have a weak heart, poor dear," said a woman holding Allie's back.

"I'll fetch the doctor!" someone else said.

"Mum!" Oliver cried as she let go of her chest.

() () ()

Oliver stared at his mother lying peacefully in her bed. She was still breathing and alive. That was all that mattered. The bedclothes were white as his mother's face. Miss Leila was with Oliver, because his mother was so ill she was unable to look after him. Allie began to stir and opened her eyes.

"Oliver, sweetie," she murmured. "Oh, sweetie..."

"Mum…" Oliver cried, clutching Allie's hands in his.

"You'll be okay," she gasped. "I know you will… Be good now… for me."

Her eyes started to close. Oliver stared horrified. His mother wasn't going to go back to sleep.

"Mum," he whispered. "Mum!?"

Then the truth came. Tears spilled out of Oliver's eyes. He shook his mother – her body.

"MUM!" he yelled.

Oliver heard the sound of the door closing as Miss Leila left. He shook his head. His mother wasn't dead. She couldn't be dead!

"No," he cried. "NO! Don't leave me! You can't! Muuum!"

Shaking his mother, Oliver knew that she had definitely gone. She would've spoken by now, shocked at his tears. The rain battered against the window as if even the weather was howling its commiserations.

"Mummy! Don't leave me! Muuum!"

All hope gone Oliver shook his mother one last time and then shook his mother's body.

() () ()

The crystal ball shone blue as if even objects owned by the murderer cried out for the victim. An image of Allie lying lifeless in her bed with her son shaking her was being shown to the White Witch and her bird, Apus.

"Sentimental fool," said the queen. "Sacrificing herself to save her child!"

"And yet thanks to her, the boy lives," Apus crooned.

"Of course," the White Witch exclaimed. "But shorn of his mother's love, to whom can he now turn for guidance? And soon he will come to our world, where our powers our strongest."

"Very good, Your Radiance," bowed Apus.

"Hm! Let us see how this story unfolds," the queen said, getting up from her throne. "I am sure the ending will be… engaging!"

The queen walked towards the doors, swooshing her galaxy cape as she went. Apus flew behind his mistress, arching his wings in the crescent shape of the moon.

() () ()

Oliver sat at his desk. Alone. He sat in his bedroom. Alone. He sat in his home. Alone. His mother hadn't come back Oliver had woken up for the past three days. He knew now that she could never come back. Never!

He heard the creak of the floor boards as Miss Leila walked into the room. She carried a plate of apple pie and a mug of warm milk. Setting them down, she looked up at the boy's back heartbroken.

"Oliver, honey," Miss Leila said, gently. "I brought you some apple pie. I'll just leave it here for you, okay, dearie?"

Miss Leila acknowledged the silence and closed the door behind her. She looked down the stairs and saw Phil standing at the bottom. His foot was in a cast and he was clutching onto a crouch. Face full of worry, he stared up at Miss Leila. She sighed and shook her head. A fat yellow cat padded its way up to Miss Leila and wrapped himself around her legs. He looked up at her questionably.

"Now, now," Miss Leila whispered, bending down to scratch his neck. "You'll just have to wait until dinner, Timmy Toldrum. Oh, it's so sad. He's been in there three whole days now."

Oliver walked over to the table where his apple pie stood. Next to it sat his doll. He picked it up and examined it. Exactly like the first day he had got it. A memory came flooding back.

_"__Oliver," Allie had said. "Mummy starts her new job today. But she's asked someone very special to take care of you." She handed the doll to a younger Oliver in front of her while saying, "Mummy spent a long time making him. I'm sure he'll look after you very well."_

_Allie bent over to kiss Oliver on the cheek. He nodded smiling slightly._

_ "__Be good while Mummy's away, okay?" _

_Allie got up and started to walk down the path. Oliver clutched his doll and looked at her retreating back._

_ "__Mummy," he called out._

_ "__Is something wrong, sweetie?"_

_Oliver shook his head and said, "Just come back soon, okay?"_

_ "__Of course, sweetie. We'll always be together, Oliver."_

_She started to glide away into the whiteness behind her. She waved and her last word echoed to Oliver's ears again and again. "Always…"_

Fresh tears flung themselves out of Oliver's eyes and down his face.

"Mummy," he whispered. "Come back… Please…"

Tears started to drop onto the doll and the doll's colour seemed to lighten. It seemed to be glowing and shaking. Suddenly Oliver realised that his tears were making the doll shine. The shine had stretched around the whole doll. It started to bulge and the button eyes popped off replacing them with real ones.

A lantern appeared on the end of the doll's long nose and Oliver threw it aside. The doll bounced onto the floor and the rope arms and legs had turned to real arms and legs. It stood up and tripped over its feet.

"Owowowowowow!" it yelled in a welsh accent. "What's all this then, eh? Curse lifted, is it? Tidy! I'm free! Freee!"

All that Oliver could do was stare.


	4. Chapter Three: Cry-Baby Bunting

Chapter three

Cry-Baby Bunting

Oliver stared open mouthed at his former doll. It was jumping around his bed and crying out in joy. Fortunately it seemed as if the doll hadn't noticed Oliver yet. After a few minutes he managed to close his mouth. His tongue didn't seem to be working.

"Huh?" Oliver finally managed to say. "What just happened?"

The doll jumped onto the table nearly squashing the apple pie and smashing the mug of now cold milk.

"You just witnessed the rebirth of Drippy, Lord High, er, Lord of the Fairies!" the fairy cried out.

"Um, who?" asked Oliver still surprised.

"What are you deaf or something?" the fairy shouted in Oliver's face. "Drippy, Lord High Lord of the Fairies, I said didn't I?"

"'Drippy'", Oliver echoed.

Drippy jumped off of the table and started circling Oliver while shouting, "That's right, and I'm sick to the teeth of youer snivelling and moaning! A proper Cry-Baby Bunting you are. Three days, mun! I mean, I've been sad before, but crying three whole days? I'm surprised there's a day of water left in you! Youer a big boy, mun, three days is… well its unheard of!"

Drippy took a big breath and exhaled. He jumped up onto the table again and started to look at the contents. Oliver was more stunned than ever. His eyes stared so hard that they started to itch.

"Wha-?" Oliver managed to utter. "I, uh…"

"Oh dear! Bit flummoxed, are we? Bit lost for words? Not to worry, mun! I've got all the answers! Oh, but, er, prepare yourself – explaining all this is going to take a while. Ready?"

Drippy grabbed the slice of pie next to him and stuffed it down his throat. He chewed taking in the flavour of the first piece of food he had eaten since being a doll. Oliver gulped and took a hold of his tongue.

"Uh-huh," he answered.

"Tidy! I like youer style! Very honest, en't you? Stay that way, okay? Take you far, it will."

Oliver grabbed the chair facing his desk and twisted around to face Drippy. He sat down and looked at the fairy.

"On with the show!" Drippy shouted.

"Uh… Okay."

"See, it's like this, see… what it is is, there's more worlds out there than this one by here. There's what you might call 'parallel worlds', see. They're like worlds along by the side of youer one. And one of those worlds is my world. That's right, a whole 'nother world."

"Another world…?" Oliver bemused.

"There's quick, you are! And I – that is the Lord High Lord of the Fairies – the reason I'm by here in this world of youers… Well, it's because there's a proper bad apple trying to upset the peace of both ouer worlds, see?

"Shadar, the Dark Djinn, his name is. And what he did was he took over people's hearts and spread war and ruin all over ouer world. Tried to stand up to him, I did, and he turned me into a flipping doll and kicked me out of ouer world and into youers, the rotter!"

"Uh-huh," Oliver murmured.

"And then you went and cried all over me and – poof! – the curse was lifted, just like that! Which makes me think that you must be the one we fairies call the Pure-Hearted One! The one the legends say will save ouer world! Just goes to show, you can't judge a book by its cover, eh? So, anyway, that means I'd better get you over to ouer world and have you get rid of Shadar for us. All right with you?"

"Me? But how can I–?"

"Don't fret, mun. It's a big responsibility, I know, but you'll be all right! 'Specially with me to help you!"

"But I–"

"Oh, want me to ask properly, do you? Fair dos."

"Wh–"

"O, Pure-Hearted One, will you please come and save ouer world?"

Oliver heard in shock Drippy's question. He surely wasn't a hero. He wasn't strong, he didn't know anything about this other world and his mother was… Oliver looked at the fairy who was smiling widely and had his hand next to where his ear probably was. The answer was obvious.

"No," Oliver said, shaking his head.

Drippy took a step back with an expression of the upmost surprise painted across his face. He stepped off of the table, reaching up to Oliver's knees.

"Sorry, I must have misheard you – what did you say?! Go on – once more, but louder," Drippy encouraged.

"I won't do it… I, I mean… I can't do it."

"This is why they say never work with children," Drippy cried exuberated. "I ask nicely, and you give me a hearty 'Yes, Sir!' That's how this works, see? 'Gee-whiz, that would be swell,' you say! It's just how these things are done! It's tradition! How am I supposed to work with this!? It's like he's never read a story in his life!"

"But I don't know anything about your world," Oliver interrupted. "And… I just can't right now."

"What, because youer mam dropped dead?"

Hurt pushed its way through Oliver's ears and into his heart. This fairy was insulting his mum. How dare he talk about sensitive things he didn't know about! He hadn't even seen his mum. Or had he? If the fairy had known his mum was dead, then maybe he had been watching him his whole life. Oliver looked down at the fairy's accusing face.

"Uh… Yeah," Oliver replied.

"You got a photo of her?"

"Uh…"

"Hurry up, will you? I haven't got all day!"

"O-Okay."

Walking over to his desk, Oliver blinked away the tears forming in his eyes. One slipped down his cheek to the edge of his mouth. Licking it, Oliver reached up for the photo of him and his mum. Allie's smiling face stared towards the camera while the young Oliver looked up into his mother's eyes. They had been so happy! But now the older Oliver was sad at her memory, not her presence.

Oliver handed over the photo to Drippy. The light of his lantern illuminated Allie and Oliver. Glowing, they looked like ghosts of a future that would never play out.

"Let's see now," Drippy said, examining the photo. "Blimey! It can't be! But then it can't be a coincidence, neither…"

"What is it?" Oliver asked.

"The Great Sage Alicia… Then we might just be able to save youer mam!"

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

Save his mum… That was impossible! Oliver was elated yet angry. Drippy didn't know how to bring his mum back. But a bit of joy couldn't be hidden by the anger.

"You ready for another earful?" Drippy asked.

"Yeah," Oliver shouted.

"The souls of people in youer world and my world are connected. Which means people from over here have another version of themselves over by there called a soul mate, see? And people with soul mates can even look like each other. Now youer mam, well, she shared a soul with the Great Sage Alicia. A proper talent, she was…"

"Huh? So my mum was a sage? But how does that help us save her?"

"Well, Alicia tried to take on the Dark Djinn. But his power was too much for her, and he trapped her in this dark jewel called the Soulsnare. When that happened, then the link between hers and youer mam's souls would've been cut off. But if you could save Alicia, it might just link fix the link, and who knows – it might even bring youer mam back!"

"Is that really true?"

"I can't be sure now, but it's possible, yeah."

Oliver felt his heart explode with happiness. He could bring her back. There was a 'might', but it was possible! Putting his picture back on his desk, a question came into Oliver's mind.

"Wait," Oliver said. "How do you know all this, Mr Drippy? You've been a doll this whole time."

"Ah, now there's clever of you!" Drippy sighed. "Good question, lad! It's like this, see: I'm not the only fairy. Even though I was stuck by here, my butties were keeping me abreast of all the goings-on over there. How? I s'pose it's what you might call telepathy. And that's not all. I was sending my lordly orders back over there, too. Having them spy on Shadar and that, you know…"

Drippy turned around and stopped talking. Oliver had a look of utter concentration on his face not paying attention to a word that Drippy said.

"Tidy, eh? Hm? What is it?"

"I'll," Oliver began. He took a deep breath. "I'll do it! I'll come to your world. I'll come with you and save my mum!"

"Ohh, there's marvellous!" Drippy exclaimed. "You might be doing it for all the wrong reasons, but if it saves ouer world, I won't look a gift horse in the mouth! Tidy! We'd best get going, then. Chop, chop!"

"Okay! But… how do we get to your world?"

"Ohh, curious, are we? All right, I'll tell you. First thing we need is a drop of magic. Go and have a dig around in the fireplace. There's something hidden there so nosy parkers won't find it."

"But why would anybody hide something in there?"

"That's for me to know and you to find out! Look lively!"

Drippy skipped out of the room and jumped down three steps at a time. Oliver ran after him careful not to trip over his feet. Miss Leila had gone to her store and Phil had been picked up by his dad. There wasn't a sign of anyone to see Drippy. They walked over to the fireplace and looked among the ashes which were once living trees.

"What could be hidden in a place like this?" Oliver asked.

"A mighty spellbook!" Drippy shouted.

"Huh? A book? But it would burn in there!"

"Not this book! The Wizard's Companion laughs in the face of fire! Wouldn't be much of a spellbook if it didn't now, would it?"

"Really?" Oliver wondered.

Drippy dived into the ashes as Oliver wondered how nobody had noticed it before. They used to have fires every winter. However when Drippy pulled an engraved book out of his pool of ashes, Oliver pushed the thought to the back of his mind.

"Ah-ha! Gotcha!" Drippy shouted, handing the book to Oliver.

"This is a spellbook?" Oliver asked, brushing the ash from the cover.

"That there is the Wizard's Companion – the fount of all wizarding knowledge!"

"The Wizard's Companion," Oliver whispered wistfully.

"Now listen up!" Drippy I'm going to teach you what's what in that Wizard's Companion of youers. If you want to have a read of it, then open it up. You can leaf through the Wizard's Companion at youer heart's content! Take a minute or two to have a skim of a few pages, eh? You look like a smart lad, so I'm sure you'll get into it. Oh, I almost forgot!

"The first thing you have to do when you get youer hands on the Wizard's Companion is to make a pledge! You need to vow that you'll do all you can do worthy of being a wizard. Don't look so flipping worried! It's not hard! All you have to do is to write youer name in the book with an honest, open heart! And you don't even have to write 'Oliver' if you don't want. You can write 'Bunting', 'Cry-Baby', or whatever you like. The important thing is that you mean it. Go on! Scribble youer name down!"

Oliver scribbled his name down in the front cover of the Wizard's Companion. The writing glowed faintly and changed to gold. He had taken the Wizard's pledge and was now privy to the timeless wisdom of the Wizard's Companion.

"Tidy! Right, magicking ouer way over to my world, is it? Hmm… Now let's see…"

"What is it?"

"You got a wand somewhere by here? We can't go casting spells without a wand now, can we?"

"A wand? Why would we have a wand?"

"Oh. That's a pain. Ah well, can't be helped. We'll just have to look for one outside."

"Huh? We won't find one out there either."

"Don't nitpick, Cry-Baby Bunting!"

"'Bunting'?" Oliver shouted. "My name is Oliver. O-li-ver!"

"Ah, so the Cry-Baby part was right at least, was it?" Drippy asked smugly.

"Grrr," Oliver cried.

Oliver stomped outside followed closely by Drippy. No one seemed to notice Drippy which Oliver didn't think twice about. The street was empty except from someone cleaning up twigs. Outside was strangely quiet.

"Righto!" Drippy exclaimed. "Time to find ourselves a magic wand!"

"You mean there's one hidden somewhere around here?" asked Oliver. "Like the spellbook?"

"Ha!" Drippy yelled. "Youer having a laugh if you think I'm going to make it that easy, mun! What do you think I am? Made of wizarding equipment!? No, this one's going to be a little more difficult. But ouer journey over to my world is a hunt for the Soulsanre, among other things… So why don't you treat this as a warm up? The Easter egg hunt before the wild goose chase, if you will."

"The… huh? Um, okay. I guess…"

There was a pause for a moment as Oliver stared at Drippy. Tiny beads of sweat slid down his face.

"Okay. I'm lying," he burst out. "The thing is is, I never brought a wand with me. I mean, look at me! The rice of my loveability is my small stature, en't it? I only just managed to carry that flipping book, mun! Anymore and I'd've been crushed!"

"So even fairies tell lies, huh…"

"'Course they do! Us fairies are incorrigible liars! Anyway, no point crying over spilt milk – let's find ouerselves a substitute, shall we?"

"A substitute? How can there be a substitute for a magic wand?" Oliver pondered.

"Well, if you can find something _brown and sticky _– like maybe a stick – we might just be able to muddle through."

"Uh, okay. You sure a stick will work?"

"Do you think I'm sending you up the garden path or something? Fine! I'll give you a hand. Follow me, Bunting!"

Drippy skipped off along the street. Oliver ran after him across the street. Dusk gave the pavement an orange tint and the lamp posts a long partner for the evening. Drippy stopped in front of the lamp post and looked up and down it. Curiously, Oliver looked at it too. It looked nothing like a stick.

"Eh?" Drippy said. "What are you looking at?" He hit Oliver in the shins. "Don't tell me youer thinking of using this lamp post as a flipping wand! Well, you can cut that out, for a start. It's way too flipping big! We need a stick or something like that, en't it? Why don't we go and have a look over by there?"

"Okay," Oliver muttered.

Drippy scampered off. Irritated, Oliver ran after him. Drippy didn't seem to admit his mistakes. It was that or he liked to make Oliver seem like an idiot. Stopping in front of a car, Drippy spoke again.

"This is one proper tidy motor, eh? Might get myself one of these… Ahem! Sorry, now's not really the time, is it. There en't anything wandlike over by here wither. Let's go and look over the other side, shall we?"

"Uh," Oliver stammered. "Okay."

"Oh, and when you find something, don't forgot to pop it in youer bag for safekeeping," Drippy instructed. "In there, you'll find all youer items nicely sorted into different categories. There's handy! 'Course there en't much to see at the moment, but when you've got loads of stuff, you'll be glad of a bit of order, en't it. Anyway, next time you pocket a tidy item be sure and have a closer look at it in youer Bottomless Bag!"

"Put it in my bag," Oliver said. "Sure."

Oliver's Bottomless Bag was now accessible even though it was empty. They both walked across the street again. Night was falling quickly and everyone was walking home. Hardly anyone was left. Walking past Oliver's house again, Oliver signed.

"It's no use," he said. "There's nothing around here that looks like a wand…"

"Youer not wrong, Bunting. All right, we'd better spilt up, then. Broaden ouer search, like. I'll go and take another quick look round youer house. You stay by here and head up the outside search, okay?"

"Okay."

Drippy walked back up the road which was completely deserted. Oliver walked over to some bushes. There wasn't a stick in sight.

"Brown and sticky," he muttered to himself. "Brown and sticky…"

"Oliver," said a tender voice behind him.

Oliver turned around.

"Oh… It's you!"

The little girl stood staring at Oliver, sadness in her eyes.


End file.
